This week in Tampa: Tim McGraw, Kenny Loggins, Tropical Heatwave and more

This weekend brings one of the biggest events on the Tampa music scene's annual calendar, WMNF's Tropical Heatwave, featuring some 60 bands on 10 venues in and around the Cuban Club in Ybor City. If you missed our preview of Tropical Heatwave 2013, click here.

Tim McGrawWith Brantley Gilbert, Love and TheftSATURDAY 7 p.m., Live Nation Amphitheatre, 4802 U.S. 301 N, Tampa. $40.75-$84.70. (813) 740-2446.Tim McGraw’s 20-year run of success in popular country music can really only be rivaled by Garth Brooks, but not even Brooks can claim that he had a tour sponsored by a motor oil company. And while the marriage of McGraw and Penzoil is strange to say the least, what can’t be disputed is the way staples like Just To See You Smile, I Like It I Love It, and Indian Outlaw have dominated charts over the years. Fans will surely be treated to the gamut of McGraw charm, but they’ll be in for a treat when young gun — and fellow Big Machine Records signee — Brantley Gilbert makes a case for his own spot in court of country royalty with songs like Kick It In The Sticks and the anthemic Country Must Be Country Wide.

Blind Willie JamesFRIDAY 8 p.m., Carrollwood Cultural Center, 4537 Lowell Road, Tampa. $19-$25. (813) 269-1310.Considering he was born blind and orphaned in 1933, William James has done pretty well for himself over the course of his 79 years. The Lake City native ended up being raised by sharecroppers and can say that he’s a successful product of the St. Augustine School For The Deaf and Blind, where he shared a classroom and affection for tickling the ivory with Ray Charles. That passion for piano led to his mining of the depths of gospel and blues, which earned him a Florida Folk Heritage Award in 1999 and landed him a gig with The Blind Boys of Alabama. He’s since parted ways with the famed vocal troupe, but James (who eventually put roots down in Palmetto and St. Pete) and his age-old tales about heartbreak and deceit are bona fide Sunshine State treasures.

State PoisonWith Von Dagger, Month MindSATURDAY 8 p.m., Mojo Books & Music, 2540 E Fowler Ave., Tampa. Free. (813) 971-9717.Wine, pastries, cheese, fashion, even fries. Some things just seem superior when they’re French. Such is the case with State Poison, who deliver pounding punk and hardcore en français. The trio hails from Saint Etienne (about 300 miles southeast of Paris) and are ending their 16-date U.S. tour with a stop at a little USF-area bookstore . Riffs on songs like Afrique Genocide, Tache Difficile, and Marecage Du Mort are predictably dispensed at breakneck speed, but the breadth of the band’s discography is also marked by a love of blistering lead and lyrics delivered with so much passion that they don’t need to be translated to be understood.

Kenny LogginsSATURDAY Following Rays vs. San Diego Padres; first pitch at 6:10 p.m., Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg. Free with game ticket. (888) 326-7297.Their own top guns have finally begun to heat up on the mound, and while it’s still too early to tell whether the Rays will end up in a postseason Danger Zone, Kenny Loggins is arriving at One Tropicana Drive to kick off the team’s summer concert series (which also includes future shows by Carly Rae Jepsen and OneRepublic) with an evening of 1980s soft-rock classics. The postgame concert is free with a ticket (wristbands for on-field access cost extra) and fans can expect the 65-year-old to keep things Footloose and maybe even go Double Or Nothing on Loggins and Messina hits like Good Friend, Angry Eyes, and Your Mama Don’t Dance.

Fear FactoryWith Kobra and the Lotus, Guverra, Burning Fair Verona, Hate EternalSUNDAY 7 p.m., Brass Mug, 14811 N Florida Ave., Tampa. $18-$25. (813) 972-8152.Growing up metal certainly has its benefits. Just ask Los Angeles quartet Fear Factory, who have made a two-decade career out of exploring nearly every facet of the genre. Whether it’s thrash, death or groove, the band has always had a legion of fans. They’ve undergone a handful of lineup changes and two hiatuses, but the recent return of original guitarist Dino Cazares seems to have breathed a renewed spirit into the band, as evidenced by a new album, The Industrialist, and a desire to put even more fresh material to tape directly after their current 45-date world tour.

Aaron CarterWith Chrystian, Macy KateTHURSDAY 7 p.m., Ritz Ybor, 1503 Seventh Ave., Ybor City. $15. (813) 247-2555.He never quite got to enjoy the massive amounts of fame that big brother Nick experienced with the Backstreet Boys, but one thing that Aaron Carter has going for him is a little staying power. The 25-year-old hometown boy (he was born at Tampa General) broke through in 2000 with an album featuring high-pitched hip-hop songs about house parties and playing basketball with Shaq, and he’s since endured puberty and a little legal trouble to continue his career as a pop songsmith by issuing a collaboration with Flo Rida (Dance With Me), blue-eyed R&B (Perfect Storm), and club-ready cuts like 2011’s Hear Me and Deeper.

Nappy RootsWith J-Killz, Pat Ferg, LukeTHURSDAY 7 p.m., The Local 662, 662 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. $15. Facebook.com/thelocal662.Awnaw, hellnaw. Nappy Roots are back. The Kentucky-based ambassadors of upbeat, feel-good hip hop last brought their Southern charm and eternally positive vibe to the Bay area with a July 2012 stop at State Theatre. This time they’ll pack a refreshing brand of horn- and organ-driven rap into even more intimate quarters, the Local 662. They’ve shown a penchant for exploring different facets of production since they released their breakout LP (Watermelon, Chicken & Gritz) in 2002, and they’ve hooked up a pair of talented local MCs — J-Killz and Pat Ferg — for this Thursday night special.